Curriculum Guide

High School (Grades 9-12) and the General Public

Purpose

The purpose of the Who’s Whozit (grades 9-12/general public) curriculum is:

  1. To define blindness and what it means to be blindand analyze the different definitions available.
  2. To shatter common misconceptions regarding blindness and the blind.
  3. To introduce the NFB and discuss civil rights.
  4. To define and introduce philanthropy to the students.
  5. To show the importance of philanthropy and encourage students to give back to their communities.

Strategies

  1. Engage students in a question and answer discussion of blindness; don’t just talk at them.
  2. It would be great if these students could meet a blind person their age, so if you have a blind child, feel free to bring them with you.
  3. Note that the questions in the curriculum are meant as a guide—feel free to have the students ask questions and allow them to lead the discussion.
  4. Be prepared for questions about grooming, eating, shopping, entertainment, etc.

What is blindness?

  • The legal definition of blindness is visual acuity of not greater than 20/200 in the better eye with best correction or a field not subtending an angle greater than 20 degrees.
  • Kenneth Jernigan, second president of the NFB, said, “One is blind to the extent that the individual must devise alternative techniques to do efficiently those things which he would do if he had normal vision.An individual may properly be said to be 'blind' or a 'blind person' when he has to devise so many alternative techniques—that is, if he is to function efficiently—that his pattern of daily living is substantially altered.”
  • Blind people use their other senses (hearing, smell, touch, and taste) to assess their environment.
  • Discussion questions
  • What does the legal definition really mean? Do you think you really understand what blindness is by knowing the legal definition?
  • Only 2% of blind people are totally blind.
  • What is the purpose of having a legal definition of blindness?
  • Legal definition is a measurement used to identify those in need of rehabilitation services.
  • Why does the NFB have a different definition of blindness?
  • To promote a positive perception of blindness; to show that it is respectable to be blind.
  • To show that the level of one’s vision does not limit their ability to be successful.
  • What are alternative techniques?
  • A different way of performing a task without using vision to accomplish the desired result (ex. reading with Braille).
  • Why do we say alternative rather than substitute?
  • The word substitute connotes inferiority, and the alternative techniques employed by the blind person need not be inferior to visual techniques.

Misconceptions about blindness

  • Blind people can’t see anything.
  • Most blind people have some vision; a small minority are totally blind.
  • Blind people have extra sensory hearing/touch/taste/smell.
  • The average blind person does not have better senses of hearing/touch/taste/smell than that of the average sighted person.
  • The blind person relies on his or her other senses more than a sighted person, so they may be able to gain more information from them.
  • Blind people are all musically gifted.
  • Blind people are a cross-section of society.
  • The average blind person has no more musical talent than the average sighted person.
  • Blind people are amazing/special/inspiring.
  • Blind people are a cross-section of society.
  • There are nice people, mean people, smart people, funny people, Democrats, Republicans, athletic, rich and poor.
  • Blind people know sign language.
  • Generally speaking, only deaf-blind people know sign language and they communicate the signs tactilely.

What do blind people do and how do they do these things?

  • Share your story about what you do.
  • Your job
  • Your home and family
  • Your hobbies
  • Discussion questions
  • What does the white cane do for you?
  • The long white cane is used for walking aroundindependently.
  • Using a long white cane when you walk allows you to locate steps, curbs, streets, driveways, doorways, bicycles, elevators, escalators, people, chairs, tables, desks, or any other object or place.
  • The cane is long enough to be about two steps ahead of your feet as you walk, so you find things with your cane before you get to them.
  • There are canes of all sizes, including very small ones for children and long ones for tall people.
  • What does a guide dog do?
  • Guide dogs help the blind person move around objects in their path.
  • These dogs are specially trained to go through doorways and stop at curbs and stairs.
  • The dog takes direction from the blind person.
  • Do not pet a guide dog when it is in harness (describe or show harness).
  • Blind people who use a guide dog might use a cane sometimes, but they do not use both the dog and the cane at the same time.
  • How do blind people read?
  • Blind people use Braille, which is a code using raised dots that are read with your fingers.
  • The Braille cell is made up of six dots (show or describe).
  • The different patterns of dots signify different letters; some patterns represent words or groups of letters—this is called contracted Braille.
  • How do blind people do sports?
  • Blind people use different techniques to play sports (ex. bells or a beeping device in a ball).
  • Blind people also play sports that have been adapted or devised for the blind (ex. beep ball, goal ball).
  • Some sports are done the same as sighted people (ex. wrestling, judo).
  • How do blind people cook?
  • Share your own techniques and kitchen strategies for cutting, pouring, baking, grilling, systems for keeping track of what food you have in the cupboard, etc.
  • Blind people use different cues for different aspects of cooking.
  • Example: For cooking meat, keep track of time with timers, use utensils to check texture and feel of meat, and pay attention to smells.
  • Sound and touch are very important in cooking—listen for water boiling, textures of foods, and feel for heat.
  • Put bump dots, indicators, and/or Braille on appliances.
  • How do blind people get around town?
  • Share your strategies for independent travel in your community.
  • Examples: public transportation, cabs, drivers, walking
  • How do blind people identify money?
  • Share your strategies
  • Coins by touch
  • Folding techniques
  • Storage or compartment techniques
  • Using money identifiers
  • How do blind people use a computer?
  • Blind people use software on the computer that makes the computer verbalize what is on the screen.
  • This is also how blind people use the Internet, though not all Web sites are set up to be accessible for blind users.

What is the National Federation of the Blind?

  • Agroup of blind people, organized and led by the blind
  • 50,000 members across the United States
  • Founded in 1940 to protect the civil rights of blind Americans
  • Promotes the independence of the blind
  • Discussion questions
  • What does it mean that the organization is led by blind people?
  • The officers and board members are blind.
  • The National Convention is the decision-making body of the organization—members vote on leadership of NFB and vote on resolutions, which shape the policies of the organization.
  • What are civil rights?
  • Civil rights are rights that every personis entitled to, regardless of gender, race, religion, or disability, under the Constitution of the United States.
  • Civil rights were first applied to those with disabilities by Jacobus tenBroek, who was the founder of the NFB and an important civil rights legal scholar whose treatises were used in the Brown v. Board of Education case.
  • Education
  • Today only 10% of blind children are taught to read Braille in school.
  • Civil rights include Freedom of Speech and the Right to Organize.

Who IS Whozit?

  • The symbol of the NFB
  • Represents every blind person

What is Philanthropy?

  • Giving back to the community; sharing of time and treasure intended for the common good.
  • Examples: food drive, helping in a soup kitchen, collecting money for those in need
  • Discussion questions
  • What is a “for-profit” organization?
  • One that was formed to make money/earn a profit
  • Major corporations like Coke
  • What is a “not-for-profit” organization?
  • One that is not to make money, but uses its income for maintaining its programs
  • Why is philanthropy important?
  • Discuss
  • Helps solve community and global problems—change occurs when action is taken
  • Kindness leads to more kindness

What is the Race for Independence?

  • The Race for Independence is a campaign to raise funds in order to develop empowering programs for blind children and adults across the United States.
  • Discussion questions
  • What does “empowering” mean?
  • To promote self-worth and self-confidence.
  • Why do we need programs for blind children and adults in the United States?
  • Often the blind are not receiving the tools that they need to be successful (ex. kids are not learning Braille, or are told that they can’t do science).
  • What kinds of programs does the NFB run?
  • Science Academies (Youth Slam for high school students, JuniorScienceAcademy for elementary school kids) to teach the students how they can do science as a blind person and participate in school.
  • Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning (BELL): for low-vision kids who are not being taught Braille in school.
  • NFB-NEWSLINE®: allows blind people to read the newspaper over the phone.

What is the role of the students?

  • The students each get a Braille alphabet card, a What is the NFB? Brochure, and a Race for Independence card.
  • Encourage the students to give back to their community in some way (perhaps encourage them to come to or be part of an NFB chapter event).